In NY, there is a law that grants "tenants' rights" to people who are living in someone's home for 30 days. This applies to anyone regardless of whether they are a paying tenant or a guest who was not charged any rent.  My 90 year old father has been a victim of a "serial squatter" who he allowed to stay in his home as a guest during the peak of the covid pandemic, after she asked for help with a place to stay "for just a few weeks"  (https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2023/02/04/nyc-squatter-in-90-year-old-rabbis-home-for-two-years/amp/

The squatter took full advantage of this law, and between the pandemic eviction moratoria and her knowledge of how to fight an eviction, she has been squatting in his house for two years. 

This should never have been allowed to happen and the law needs to change to protect people like my father. He tried to be helpful to someone in need, and never tried or intended to charge her rent to stay there. 

Many people who are kind and generous and want to help someone in need, want to open their homes to let people stay with them for short periods of time. They aren't looking to make money. Yet these people run the risk of a bad actor taking advantage of their kindness and ending up getting dragged through the court system.

This is not ok and shouldn't be. Sign this petition to show your support for protecting nice people! Let's change this law and make it safe for people to be kind.